A European citizen, a patient affected by thalassemia, came to France to follow an Erasmus study program and had to schedule care including transfusions and related treatments. No linguistic nor administrative mediation was guaranteed for the implementation of access to healthcare procedures. The patient's family contacted the ERN-EuroBloodNet following a Patient Association's suggestion. The ERN reassured the patient, explaining he/she was entitled to assumption of costs and taking the role of mediation.

French social security fund as well as the health facility required the provision of a S2 form by the insured person. The affiliation's home country fund refused to issue the S2 form, since this insured person can be treated in his/her country within a time frame compatible with their state of health.

So the ERN-EuroBloodNet contacted the French National Contact Point for Cross-Border Care (NCP Cleiss) and asked them to play a key role between the patient's home and host countries' social security funds.

French NCP Cleiss communicated with both Member States explaining the S2 form was not the appropriate document to the situation of a patient studying in France in the framework of the Erasmus project. In light of European legislation (Regulations (EC) 883/2004 and 987/2009), a patient is considered to be temporarily residing in France during his/her studies. Patient benefits from reimbursement of his/her health care costs by the French scheme (on behalf of the home health insurance fund) on presentation of his/her European Health Insurance Card (EHCI) and in accordance with the legislation and reimbursement rates applicable in France. The European Health Insurance Card makes it possible not only to cover medically necessary care during a temporary stay outside one's habitual State of residence but also chronic or pre-existing illnesses insofar as the purpose of the stay is not to seek care. These measures are intended to ensure that the person may not have to return to his or her State of affiliation for care but may continue his or her stay in safe conditions.

Thanks to the cooperation of ERN-EuroBloodNet and French NCP Cleiss, the patient did not feel lost in the management of bureaucracy and was able to benefit from the temporary cross-border mobility of his/her healthcare rights according to the application of the above mentioned regulations and the provisions of Decision S3 taken by the Administrative Commission for the Coordination of Social Security Systems.